The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1887-01-01

age of nine or ten, and after an en-
gagement of ten or twelve years they
get married. "
docs a Chinaman ever marry his
cousinP"
"No; a marriage of cousins was never
heard of in China. A man may no
more marry his cousin in China than in
England he may marry his deceased
wifes sister. You talk about your old
families here, and your oldest families
are only five generations old. In China
families are seventy-fve and eighty
generations old, and every member has
a complete record of his ancestors for
all these generations. The remotest
kinship prevents marriage in China and
if two families have the faintest imagin-
able kinship seventy-five generations
back their children can not marty"
"What are the most common families
in your country?"
"The Chens, the Wongs, and the
Lees. The Chens are the Smiths OF
China, the Wongs are the Jones. and
the Lees are the Browns. A Mr.. Chen
would marry a Miss Wong, but he
wouldn't marry Miss Chen. Perhaps
that is the reason the old folks make
the matches. 1t prevents the Chens
from falling in love with one another.
care the Chinese ladies cultivated"
"Oh, yes; they can read and write,
draw, paint and embroider. They never
go out on the street with their husbands.
If a Chinese man and woman were to
walk on the street arm in arm in their
country as American men and women
do, they would be mobbed. The women
stay indoors. If they wish to visit their
mothers they take conveyances. Some
times they may be seen walking in the
park with their children"
"You are married?n
eyes.
"To a Chinese lady?"
"No; to an American. I came to this
country when a boy eleven years old.
Though was nine thousand miles from
China, my mother betrothed me to a
little Chinese girl | had never seen. My
mother used to write to me how small
her feet were and how pretty she was,
and what beautiful cat-like nose she
had. When | was twenty years old
mother sent me letter saying [ was
old enough to get married and must
come back TO China and marry the
girl"
"What did you think about it?'
81 thought was old enough, and SC
fell heels over queue in love with an
American girl in Nevada and married
her. We had our pictures taken, and
sent one to my motha, together with
an account of the wedding, which
translated from an American newspa-
per into Chinese"
"What happened?"
''Ihe next thing | knew my uncle ant
four cousins came on to the United State,
and had me arrested for bigamy, | was
taken before a court and tried. My
uncle went on to the stand and swor(
that | had a wife in China"
"What did YOU think then?n
81 thoughtI was in box, as yoI
Americans say. The Judge asked thu
witnesses how old l was when | lef
China, They replied that my mothe
had picked her out for me, and that il
Chinese law was the same as marriage
The Judge said that they didn't hav
any Chinese statutes in this country
and my uncle innocently replied tina
he would send to China 70
some. Everybody in the cour
laughed, and as l lived in tn
town ever since came to America, al
knew that | had left China little boy
so the jury acquitted me. My uncle
told the Judge that he would be behead
ed when he went back to China, whc
was monstrous 1ib with which he in
+ tended to scare the Judge, hav
t never been back to China, and suppos
the little girl whom l never saw is
5 grass widow. Poor childw-Brookly
5 Citizen.